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Not to be missed:
25 April 2025
DJ Legends on the Decks @ groundWork’s 25-year legacy exhibition opening
Not to be missed, the opening on Friday, 2 May 2025 at the KZNSA Gallery of the legacy exhibition titled, groundWork: 25 Years of Activism for Environmental Justice, promises to be a true celebration for climate and environmental justice campaigners with a line-up legendary DJs at the decks. Stalwart environmental justice activist Chris Albertyn, Tutu, KBZL and Gary Church, all vinyl collectors and spinners will be there for the exhibition opening celebration.
Drawn from an extensive archive and developed in collaboration with activists and campaigners from groundWork, the exhibition offers a unique exploration of the organisation’s her/history over the past 25 years. The different campaign stories are revealed through compelling documentary photography, with images representing people, places and actions towards realising environmental justice and a future envisioned by groundWork in which – people live well with each other and with the earth.
Visitors are also invited to delve into a dynamic display of archival material featuring an array of publications, posters, banners, placards and t-shirts drawn from the struggles of fenceline communities directly affected by environmental injustice. The exhibition runs over a period of six weeks until Sunday, 8 June 2025 through which groundWork and the KZNSA Gallery will host an extensive festival programme of events, including:
- Labtalks, screenings and open mic sessions on Friday afternoons/evenings (4:30 onwards)
- Focussed walkabouts on Saturday mornings (10:00 – 12:00)
- Schools programme introducing kids to future alternatives like community owned renewable energy, circular economies and recycling creativity.
Programme details will be released shortly and shared on social media.
……….ends………….
DJs on the Decks
Chris Albertyn was among a group of South African 80s and 90s activists responsible for the emergence of Earthlife Africa, later the Environmental Justice Networking Forum. groundWork emerges from these roots. Chris is also a record collector, archivist, and partner in Matsuli Music.
Tutu is a music curator and a record collector from “Vietnam” in Pietermaritzburg a location with a rich political and cultural history. He has written and published reviews on art, jazz, and hip-hop, and has shared from his music collection in different spaces including Smoking Dragon Festival, Native Rebels, and GUS (Gallery University Stellenbosch).
Gary Church owned and ran popular nightclubs and live music venues in Durban in the 1990s, including The Rift, Retros, and Crash. A member of the DJ collective 3 Amigos and resident DJ at the monthly Something Afrikan creative art and music event at Habesha Café. He collects classic West African sounds and South African jazz, and is a regular music contributor at KZNSA exhibition openings.
KBZL (pronounced KhaBaZeLa), is a vinyl spinner and collector from the red brick city of Maritzburg. He has delivered memorable sermons at The Chairman, Khaya Records, South Store, The Charlatan, The Neigbarhood in Parktown North in Jozi, among other esoteric establishments in and around the Republik. Amongst the galaxy of music that fills his core, KBZL regularly meditates to sounds that include, but are not limited to Soul, Hip hop, Nu-Jazz, Funk, Afro-something and a bit of this and that, all with fragments of Jazz.
About groundWork, Friends of the Earth South Africa
Established in 1999, groundWork Friends of the Earth South Africa is a principles driven non-profit environmental justice organisation working towards a just transition and open democracy in South Africa and beyond. Its vision is that people live well with each other and with the earth. To realise this vision, groundWork partners with affected communities to resist dirty energy and toxic production, building solidarity and local alliances that advocate for open debate and democratic control over resources such as energy, waste and health towards a viable future.
groundWork works with community organisations, peoples’ movements, and other civil society actors to hold government and corporates to account, and challenge environmental racism and injustice on the ground. It works to support and link people’s struggles to realise their constitutional right to an environment that is not harmful to their health and well-being. And it helps people organise to secure their livelihoods. groundWork does this work through five key campaigns including Climate and Energy Justice, Just Transition and Coal, Waste, Environmental Health and Environmental Justice Education, supported by a Communications Campaign. Over the past 10 years groundWork has run an annual Environmental Justice Activist School for activist from across South Africa and Africa.
Media enquiries
Please contact Tsepang Molefe: Media and Communications Campaigner 074-4051257.
Schools and Programme Information
Please Contact Azola pr Sithobile Madiba
DJ Legends on the Decks at KZNSA Gallery
@ the opening of groundWork’s 25-year legacy exhibition
Chris Albertyn was among a group of South African 80s and 90s activists responsible for the emergence of Earthlife Africa, later the Environmental Justice Networking Forum. groundWork emerges from these roots. Chris is also a record collector, archivist, and partner in Matsuli Music.
Tutu is a music curator and a record collector from “Vietnam” in Pietermaritzburg a location with a rich political and cultural history. He has written and published reviews on art, jazz, and hip-hop, and has shared from his music collection in different spaces including Smoking Dragon Festival, Native Rebels, and GUS (Gallery University Stellenbosch).
Gary Church owned and ran popular nightclubs and live music venues in Durban in the 1990s, including The Rift, Retros, and Crash. A member of the DJ collective 3 Amigos, and resident DJ at the monthly Something Afrikan creative art and music event at Habesha Café. He collects classic West African sounds and South African jazz and is a regular music contributor at KZNSA exhibition openings
KBZL (pronounced KhaBaZeLa), is a vinyl spinner and collector from the red brick city of Maritzburg. He has delivered memorable sermons at The Chairman, Khaya Records, South Store, The Charlatan, The Neigbarhood in Parktown North, Jozi among other esoteric establishments in and around the Republik. Amongst the galaxy of music that fills his core, KBZL regularly meditates to sounds that include, but are not limited to Soul, Hip hop, Nu-Jazz, Funk, Afro-something and a bit of this and that, all with fragments of Jazz.
